Fatal Asthma Attack Led to Harold Dow’s Death
Veteran CBS News Correspondent Harold Dow, 62, died unexpectedly on the morning of Saturday, August 21, 2010 of an apparent asthma attack. His wife, Kathy, and three children survive Dow.
In a media statement, Dow’s family relayed the following:
“At the time of Harold’s death, he was suffering from adult onset asthma. On Monday, Aug. 16, 2010, Harold checked himself into the Valley Hospital emergency room in Ridgewood (N.J.) for severe asthmatic symptoms. According to the Hackensack Police Department incident report, an inhaler was found on the floor of Harold’s vehicle. Therefore, it is believed at this time that Harold succumbed to an asthma attack while behind the wheel.”
Dow began award-winning career as a news anchor for a Paterson, New Jersey radio station and as the first African American television reporter in Omaha Nebraska. He joined CBS News as a broadcast associate in 1972. Some of his notable interviews include those with prisoners of war captured in Vietnam, the 1976 with kidnapping victim Patricia Hearst, boxing legend Mike Tyson and OJ Simpson after the deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. He also followed the movement of American troops into Bosnia and the September 11, 2001 attacks, where Dow barely escaped one of the World Trade Center towers.
The awards Dow won during his years of journalistic service include a George Foster Peabody Award for his “48 Hours” report on runaways and a Robert F. Kennedy Award for a report on public housing. He also won five Emmy Awards, an RTNDA Edward R. Murrow Award, an Operation Push Excellence in Journalism Award and recognition by the National Association of Black Journalists.
“48 Hours Mystery” Executive Producer Susan Zirinsky issued the following statement about Dow:
“Harold Dow was a reporter for the ages. Insatiably curious, he was happiest when he was on the road deep into a story. He took pride in every story he did. It was his humanity, which was felt by everyone he encountered, even in his toughest interviews, that truly defined the greatness of his work. He was the most selfless man I have known. It is a tremendous loss for ’48 Hours,’ CBS News and the world of journalism. I deeply miss him already.”
[photo: CBS News Facebook Photos]
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